Scernian Kingsnake

The Scernian kingsnake, also known as the golden kingsnake or Scernian field snake, is a non-venomous colubrid snake endemic to the wetlands of central and southern Scernia and the only ophiophagous snake located within the country. Long associated with the Scernian Emperors, the species is commonly viewed as a symbol of Imperial Scernia, and, like all snakes in the country, is offered special protections by Imperial decree. In recent years, the species' ophiophagy has caused it to be the subject of numerous legal scandals in Scernia's southern provinces.

Description

A relatively large and thick snake, with fully-grown adults reaching around 150cm in length, the Scernian kingsnake generally ranges from mustard yellow to golden brown in colouration, though some rare specimens may be much more vibrantly yellow. Conversely, juveniles tend to be a fairly murky brown, providing light camouflage in mud or damp soil and often causing them to be confused for other snakes. Adults are also easily identified by the murky brown band around their neck, a holdover from their juvenility.
Adult Scernian kingsnakes are ophiophagous, with their diets consisting predominantly of other snakes, including smaller members of their own species. They are capable of short bursts of rapid movement, and are usually capable of killing other snake species without room for a counterattack. Regardless, they appear immune to the venom of most endemic snakes. The species is somewhat timid and prefers to flee encounters with larger creatures such as humans, and will generally not bite larger species unless cornered. They are aided in escaping by their extreme flexibility, allowing them to lash out and slip out of grips fairly easily.

Cultural Significance

The Scernian kingsnake is commonly associated with the Scernian Emperor and with Scernia as a whole. Both snakes and the colour gold are traditional symbols of the Imperial family, giving the kingsnakes in particular a dual association with the throne. Scernian folklore contends that Geren, ruler of the Sarişurni ("Golden Scerni") tribe, was inspired to subjugate the three Scerni tribes around him after witnessing a golden kingsnake fight and devour three highly venomous vipers. This story is highly unlikely, however, as there is no evidence that Scernian kingsnakes ever inhabited the arid region of the Sarişurni, and the story was not attested to until several centuries after Geren's death. It is alleged that some monarchist secret societies in Scernia worship the kingsnakes as vessels of the Emperor, though this has not been confirmed and is hardly a widely held practice.
Scernian kingsnakes are generally respected within wider Scernian society. As with all snakes native to Scernia, the species is protected by the Imperial Snake Protection Decree, which declares snakes subjects of the Emperor and forbids killing them or intentionally allowing them to come to harm. Adult Scernian kingsnakes are timid, easily identifiable, and essentially harmless to humans, making them easy to tolerate within a community. Their diet also leads them to eat other, far more dangerous snakes, making them often a welcome sight in rural areas - although this diet has also caused legal troubles for dissidents in southern Scernia in recent years.

Legal Issues

The interaction between the Scernian kingsnake's ophiophagy and the Imperial Snake Protection Decree poses an interesting dilemma for those in the presence of the species. An individual who witnesses a kingsnake attacking another snake is placed in a difficult situation. If they ignore it, and the kingsnake kills and eats the other snake, they could be considered to have breached the Decree by allowing the snake to come to harm. Conversely, if they intervene, they are risking accidentally harming either snake in the process, breaching the Decree, or they can be accused of breaching the decree by denying the kingsnake its food, hence starving (harming) the snake. The standard response to this in most Scernian communities is to simply not enforce the Decree in these circumstances, especially since most would consider a kingsnake killing and eating a potentially dangerous snake a blessing.
However, the 'kingsnake dilemma' may still be enforced by a local magistrate or djuk (local lord), and has been scandalously used in recent years to suppress suspected dissidents, especially in southern Scernia where both the species and republicanism are far more common. In the town of Odebelo in Scernia's south, Vidor Okrisc, a suspected member of the republican Silver Society, was imprisoned for breaching the Decree after witnessing a kingsnake attacking a marsh viper and not intervening. Three weeks later, Vidor's brother and suspected conspirator Meret Okrisc was similarly imprisoned after he witnessed a kingsnake attacking a non-venomous tree snake and intervening, on the grounds that he deprived the kingsnake of sustenance and consequently intentionally harmed it. In the meantime, the town had witnessed at least two other occurrences of kingsnakes attacking and killing other snakes, with no witnesses charged.